Business Insider reports that Costco may raise its membership fees ten percent in the coming months. At December's conference call, Costco CFO Richard Galanti signaled that it might be the right time to raise fees, saying that every five to six years Costco does so. He hedged that by saying, "I'm not trying to suggest that it’s tomorrow afternoon." Business Insider notes however, that perhaps Thursday's earnings conference call may be the right time. After all, Costco already raised membership fees ten percent at its stores in Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Mexico, and the UK.

On a separate note, our household just received its annual VISA rebate check. I think Costco may be right in believing rising rates shouldn't adversely affect membership. As a household, we still get back far more in rebates than we pay.